Former US Diplomats & Military Commanders call for greater respect for multilateralism in US Policy by Diplomats for Change 7:23am 17th Jun, 2004   17.06.2004    The Offical Statement.    The undersigned have held positions of responsibility for the planning and execution of American foreign and defense policy. Collectively, we have served every president since Harry S. Truman. Some of us are Democrats, some are Republicans or Independents, many voted for George W. Bush. But we all believe that current Administration policies have failed in the primary responsibilities of preserving national security and providing world leadership. Serious issues are at stake. We need a change.    From the outset, President George W. Bush adopted an overbearing approach to America’s role in the world, relying upon military might and righteousness, insensitive to the concerns of traditional friends and allies, and disdainful of the United Nations. Instead of building upon America’s great economic and moral strength to lead other nations in a coordinated campaign to address the causes of terrorism and to stifle its resources, the Administration, motivated more by ideology than by reasoned analysis, struck out on its own. It led the United States into an ill-planned and costly war from which exit is uncertain. It justified the invasion of Iraq by manipulation of uncertain intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, and by a cynical campaign to persuade the public that Saddam Hussein was linked to Al Qaeda and the attacks of September 11. The evidence did not support this argument.    Our security has been weakened. While American airmen and women, marines, soldiers and sailors have performed gallantly, our armed forces were not prepared for military occupation and nation building. Public opinion polls throughout the world report hostility toward us. Muslim youth are turning to anti-American terrorism. Never in the two and a quarter centuries of our history has the United States been so isolated among the nations, so broadly feared and distrusted. No loyal American would question our ultimate right to act alone in our national interest; but responsible leadership would not turn to unilateral military action before diplomacy had been thoroughly explored.    The United States suffers from close identification with autocratic regimes in the Muslim world, and from the perception of unquestioning support for the policies and actions of the present Israeli Government. To enhance credibility with Islamic peoples we must pursue courageous, energetic and balanced efforts to establish peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and policies that encourage responsible democratic reforms.    We face profound challenges in the 21st Century: proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, unequal distribution of wealth and the fruits of globalization, terrorism, environmental degradation, population growth in the developing world, HIV/AIDS, ethnic and religious confrontations. Such problems can not be resolved by military force, nor by the sole remaining superpower alone; they demand patient, coordinated global effort under the leadership of the United States.    The Bush Administration has shown that it does not grasp these circumstances of the new era, and is not able to rise to the responsibilities of world leadership in either style or substance. It is time for a change.    June 23, 2004 (Published by the Age).    Nobel Winners express their support for John Kerry.    Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry has been endorsed by 48 Nobel Prize-winning scientists who have attacked President George Bush for "compromising our future" by underfunding scientific research.    "The Bush Administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policymaking that is so important to our collective welfare," the 48 scientists, who have won Nobels in chemistry, physics and medicine dating back to 1967, said in an open letter released by the Democratic presidential candidate's campaign.    The scientists, who included 2003 chemistry winners Peter Agre and Roderick MacKinnon, accused the Bush Administration of undermining America's future by reducing funding for science and turning away scientific talent with restrictive immigration policies.    "John Kerry will change all this," they said. "John Kerry will restore science to its appropriate place in government." Senator Kerry told supporters in Denver that the US was losing its scientific lead over other nations. He promised to put the country once again "at the forefront of scientific discovery". He said greater technological innovation could transform the economy, creating jobs, cleaner energy and medical advances.    "We need a president who will again embrace the tradition of looking towards the future and new discoveries with hope based on scientific facts, not fear," Senator Kerry said, citing his plans to lift barriers to stem cell research, a move Mr Bush has opposed.    Mr Bush came under renewed pressure on the stem cell issue after the death of former president Ronald Reagan, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease that might be cured or treated with stem cell therapy.    Senator Kerry and his scientific supporters echoed a 38-page report issued in February by the Union of Concerned Scientists, which criticised the Bush Administration for "manipulation, suppression and misrepresentation of science" on issues such as biotechnology, global warming and nuclear power.    Senator Kerry vowed to "listen to the advice of scientists" and make their advisory reports open to the public. The group of scientists had complained that the White House heavily edited a report on the environment to remove almost any finding pointing to a human link to global warming. Visit the related web page
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